The Pros-and-Cons of Izzo Going To The Pistons

We all knew it was coming as soon as the news came down that Stan Van Gundy was not returning to the Pistons, the Izzo to the NBA rumors.

For the most part it's all been a bunch of bogus and even interim president John Engler has spoken out to say Izzo would be a lifer at MSU.

Still, you have to wonder what goes through Izzo's mind every time this talk resurfaces? Does he make a pros and cons list like the rest of us? We hope so, and so we take our best guesses at what might be on those lists.

Izzo to Pistons Pros:

Coaching the highest level of basketball

Izzo is on record with saying this, so why wouldn't a naturally ambitious person seek to climb the ladder to the pinnacle of his profession?

Leave the mess at MSU behind

Izzo doesn't seem like the type of person who would abandon a place he loves at a time like this, but could you blame him if he did?

More money?

Depending on if he takes a president or other administrative role with an NBA team he would likely make a lot more than the $4+ million he makes now.

Chance to become only second person ever to win NCAA and NBA titles

Larry Brown, Tom Izzo. Period. That could be the list if he were to do it and win one up there.

Better away destinations

With no offense to places like Piscataway and Iowa City, the NBA features way more attractive and fun away destinations. Yea, we know Izzo gets to go to those destinations plenty with tournaments and all, but imagine not having to worry about scheduling a destination every single year, the league does that for you.

Staying in home state

He loves the mitten state and being from Iron Mountain he's already pretty far from his hometown while in East Lansing. What's an extra hour or so to make that drive to the U.P.?

Izzo to Pistons Cons:

Leave demigod status behind

No NBA team's fanbase is going to worship the ground he walks on like the fans of Michigan State do.

No job security

You've seen how quickly an NBA coach can go from the top of the world to unemployed. Cough Cough David Blatt Cough Cough.

Less money?

From the pro point above, if he is just a head coach with no front office role some of the salaries of current NBA guys would suggest this move would be a pay cut.

No eponymous fan section

You really think the Pistons fans are going to create a fan club with your name on it? More importantly, do you think enough people will show up to even merit what is there being called a "fan club"? Side note: if Izzo leaves would it still be called the Izzone?

MORE headaches from your players

It might not be fun to rip into players mid-game but with how much Izzo does it there must be some enjoyment in it. Usually, a player knows that they have to toughen up and work through it if they want to get to where they want (NBA) via MSU. But what happens when you're yelling at a guy and he tunes you out because he's making his money already. That's gonna be problematic.

A bonafide boss

Even though Hollis is gone, Izzo still has a lot of pull in the athletic department and likely still will even after the turmoil surrounding MSU dies down and a new regime is firmly in charge. He'd have to answer to somebody (in this case Tom Gores) in the NBA, is that really worth the trouble?

Officials are somehow even worse

This one writes itself, I can only imagine how may T's Izzo would get in an NBA season with his antics considering players have been T'd up and ejected from the bench, for staring at a ref, or even slapping butts too hard. Sometimes the known commodity is better than the unknown, even when both are terrible.

So there you have it, six pros to seven cons. Guess he'll just have to stay in East Lansing.